Austin, TX
Tesla shares tumble below $150 per share
Tesla’s stock tumbled below $150 per share, giving up all the gains made over the past year as the electric vehicle maker reels from falling sales and steep discounts intended to lure more buyers.
Shares in the Elon Musk-owned company slid nearly 4% in intraday trading Thursday, in what now stands as the third worst week for the stock in 2024, a year that has been dismal for Tesla investors. The Austin, Texas company’s shares are down 12.4% this week and more than 39% this year.
Shares of Tesla Inc. last traded at the $150 level in Jan. 2023.
It’s also been a bad year for employees. Tesla said Monday that it was cutting 10% of its staff globally, about 14,000 jobs. The next day, Tesla announced it would try to re-instate Musk’s $56 billion pay package that was rejected by a Delaware judge in January, who said that the arrangement was dictated by Musk and was the product of sham negotiations with directors who were not independent of him.
At the time of the Delaware court ruling, Musk’s package was worth more than $55.8 billion, but the stock slide has cut that to $44.9 billion at the close of trading on Friday, according to a company filing this week.
Tesla shares hit an all-time intraday high of $415.50 in Nov. 2021, adjusted for a 3-for-1 stock split that took effect in August 2022.
Tesla sales fell sharply last quarter as competition increased worldwide, electric vehicle sales growth slowed, and price cuts failed to draw more buyers. The company said it delivered 386,810 vehicles from January through March, nearly 9% below the 423,000 it sold in the same quarter of last year.
Dan Ives, an analyst with Wedbush who has been very bullish on Tesla’s stock, called the first quarter sales numbers an “unmitigated disaster.”
“For Musk, this is a fork in the road time to get Tesla through this turbulent period otherwise dark days could be ahead,” Ives wrote this week.
Yet on Thursday, Deutsche Bank joined other industry analysts in voicing concern over Musk’s big bet on autonomous vehicles as it stripped the company of its “buy” rating, citing Tesla’s “change of strategic priority to Robotaxi.”
Wall Street expects that Tesla will report a decline in first quarter earnings next week and many are wondering if there’s any near-term catalyst for growth that would end Tesla’s stock slide. Industry analysts were expecting a new small electric vehicle for the masses that would cost around $25,000, the Model 2, but there were reports last week that Musk was scrapping that project.
Musk disputed the reports, but wrote on X, the social media platform that he owns, that Tesla would unveil a robotaxi at an event on Aug. 8.
Uncertainty over the release of a cheaper vehicle from Tesla has altered the equation for analysts like Deutche Bank’s Emmanuel Rosner.
Such a delay would tie Tesla’s future more closely to “cracking the code on full driverless autonomy, which represents a significant technological, regulatory and operational challenge. We view Tesla’s shift as thesis-changing,” Rosner wrote.
Since last year, Tesla has cut prices as much as $20,000 on some models as it faced increasing competition and slowing demand.
Other automakers also have had to cut electric vehicle production and reduce prices to move EVs off dealership lots. Ford, for instance, cut production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup, and lopped up to $8,100 off the price of the Mustang Mach E electric SUV in order to sell 2023 models.
U.S. electric vehicle sales growth slowed to 3.3% in the first quarter of the year, far below the 47% increase that fueled record sales and a 7.6% market share last year. Sales of new vehicles overall grew 5.1%, and the EV market share declined to 7.15%.
In addition to massive job cuts this week, Tesla this week announced the departure of two high-placed executives.
Andrew Baglino, Tesla’s senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering, is leaving after 18 years with the company.
Rohan Patel, senior global director of public policy and business development and eight-year Tesla veteran, is also departing.
Austin, TX
Race to Cure Sarcoma raises awareness for a rare type of cancer
AUSTIN, Texas – More than 400 walkers and runners lined up for the Race to Cure Sarcoma 5K Saturday morning, March 21st, at Mueller Lake Park in East Austin.
Race to Cure Sarcoma (Chikage Windler)
This was the second year for Austin to host the race, one of 14 held across the country.
Race participants included sarcoma survivors who wore yellow survivor shirts and were recognized during the pre-race ceremony.
Race to Cure Sarcoma (Chikage Windler)
Supporters came together to remember those lost and to rally around those fighting the disease.
Race to Cure Sarcoma (Chikage Windler)
CBS Austin’s Chikage Windler ran the 5K, which looped three times around Mueller Lake. The event also included a 1-mile option.
Race finishers received medals and cheers.
Race to Cure Sarcoma (Chikage Windler)
The race raises money for the Sarcoma Foundation of America, a nonprofit that funds research, education, and outreach for this rare type of cancer.
Race to Cure Sarcoma (Chikage Windler)
Sarcoma is a cancer that forms in bones or connective tissues. It has over 100 different subtypes, which makes it much more difficult to treat. According to the Sarcoma Foundation of America, over 236,000 people are living with Sarcoma in the US.
Race to Cure Sarcoma (Chikage Windler)
The largest team at the Austin Race to Cure Sarcoma was the Aubrie Peña Legacy Foundation Team. They had over 150 members take part in honor of Aubrie Peña, who lost her battle with Sarcoma two years after her diagnosis in 2022.
Race to Cure Sarcoma (Chikage Windler)
Aubrie Peña’s mother Maria hopes to grow the race in years to come, and welcomes volunteers who would like to help raise awareness about sarcoma.
Race to Cure Sarcoma (Chikage Windler)
Plans are already being made for the 2027 Austin Race to Cure Sarcoma. You can find the list of future race dates nationwide here.
Race to Cure Sarcoma (Chikage Windler)
Austin, TX
Hugo Lloris sets mark with 5th straight shutout as LAFC draws Austin
AUSTIN, Texas — Hugo Lloris finished with two saves for Los Angeles FC in a record fifth straight shutout to begin a season, and Brad Stuver stopped the only shot he faced for Austin FC in a scoreless draw on Saturday night.
Lloris and LAFC (4-0-1) began the season with four shutout victories, just one of four teams in league history to accomplish the feat. His scoreless stretch of 450 minutes is the longest in league history to begin a season.
Lloris nearly surrendered his first goal of the season in the 63rd minute, but a Myrto Uzuni netter off a corner kick by Facundo Torres was disallowed after Ilie Sánchez was charged with a foul following a video review — and that led to a yellow card on Uzuni.
Neither keeper faced a shot on goal in a scoreless first half.
Austin (1-2-2) swept LAFC last year during the regular season but couldn’t get past the Western Conference stalwarts in the playoffs. Both of the club’s losses this season have come on the road.
LAFC eliminated Alajuelense on Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The club is 7-0-2 so far through all competitions.
LAFC began the day tied with the Vancouver Whitecaps for first place in the hotly-contested West.
LAFC: Hosts Orlando City on April 4.
Austin, TX
Austin soul food staple Hoover’s Cooking to close after nearly 30 years
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin’s east side culinary legend Hoover Alexander is retiring after 50 years, closing all services at his iconic restaurant Hoover’s Cooking on May 31.
While the Manor Road soul food spot is ending its sit down dining service, it will still book private events through the summer.
The restaurant blends Alexander’s culinary expertise in southern, Tex-Mex, cajun food and barbecue. The fifth-generation Texan and native Austinite first opened Hoover’s Cooking in 1998. His passion for farm-to-table cooking later led him to open a food trailer focused on fresh food and promoting urban gardens and balanced eating.
Hoover’s is hosting a Juneteenth week bash on June 15 to celebrate Alexander’s legacy.
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